The Moon Cast Shadows
by Masamune Uchiha
Summary: Yuzuki Hitomi a ninja sent by Hanbei sent to kill lord Shingen get caught by Sasuke Sarutobi. Now Yuzuki is fighting with the Takeda as their newest ninja.What will happen when Hanbei finds out. PS: by the way i used samurai wariors Nagamasa and Oichi OCXSasuke
1. Blood in Moonlight

The Moon Cast Shadows

Chapter 1: Blood in Moonlight—Yuzuki

She appeared outside of her lord's door with her head bowed and on one knee. She had just returned from her mission and she knew that after she reported the success of the previous mission she would automatically be sent on another. "Yuzuki Hitomi, I have returned to report the success of my mission Lord Hanbei." She heard the voice of her lord and opened the door to stand before him. "Since I can assume that your mission was carried out with no problems I have a new mission that I will be entrusting you with." She nodded her head waiting for further instructions. "Yuzuki I want you to go to the land of Kai and assassinate either Sanada Yukimura or the Tiger of Kai. Kill whichever one you come across first and if you think your skills are up to it, kill them both."

"Understood, lord Hanbei. I will return with both of their heads." Her lord nodded. "Glad to hear it. Now hurry up and come back quickly." Yuzuki stood up and bowed to her lord. "Sir." And with that she disappeared into the night. She leaped through the trees with speed and grace wanting to finish the job before the sun rose. She entered the territory of Kai and quickened her pace with anticipation.

She stopped and whipped out her katana deflecting a kunai knife aimed for her head. She looked up to see a man hanging upside down in one of the tree branches in front of her. Even in the dim moonlight she could see a grin plastered on his face as he dropped from the branch to one below. "I haven't seen you around before. So what's your name kunoichi?" Damn! She had been caught be the Sanada ninja. It would be just her luck to run into the legendary Sarutobi Sasuke! "My name is Yuzuki Hitomi. If you don't mind I have something to take care of." The ninja pulled two large shuriken from their resting place in the weapons holder on his back. "By something to take care of do you mean assassinating my young master and lord Takeda?" Yuzuki had no choice now. She pulled her katana out and sighed. A fight was the last thing she was looking for especially against an older more experienced shinobi.

Sarutobi Sasuke made the first move, his shuriken clashed with her katana. He had an advantage in the strength department so she tried out maneuvering him by lashing out with a quick series of slashes and jabs. He dodged every attack but one. Sasuke let a small gasp of pain escape his lips as her blade grazed his side. Even though it was small it was still an injury and even if it was only a little is would slow him down. Thinking the same way Sasuke let lose a few smoke bombs shrouding her in smoke. It's sent told her that it was just ordinary smoke and not poisonous. Then she felt a sting in her arm as a kunai cut past her. She found herself in the middle of a kunai storm. Yuzuki evaded the knives as best she could but by the time it had stopped raining kunai she was on the ground with several injuries.

There were many minor injuries in which she was thankful but she did have a couple severe injuries preventing her from getting back on her feet. Moving her head to look up at her opponent was hard and painful; she must have landed on the ground the wrong way. For once in her life she was truly scared. It was one thing to kill, killing only made her sad and regretful. She knew that when she looked up at Sarutobi Sasuke she was staring death in the face, and all she could feel was fear. A few more ninja from the Sanada ninja corps arrived at the request of their leader. She was starting to get dizzy when two of the ninja lifted her up and carried her into Kai.

Yuzuki awoke as the light of midday filled the room. Shingen Takeda, Yukimura Sanada, and Sarutobi Sasuke walked in. She tried to sit up but found that she was bound to the bed. Her muscles were sore and her energy levels were at a low from the late night shinobi battle. The most she could manage to do his look at the three angry men standing in the room. Yuzuki was prepared to hear the Tiger of Kai give her a death sentence or worse but all he did was stand there and stare at her. The look in his eye was questioning and thought full as if he hadn't yet decided what he was going to with her. It didn't seem like they planned on killing her since they went through the trouble and supplies to bandages her wounds. Sasuke was leaning against the door frame with his arms crossed and his head bent as if he was dozing off. Yukimura on the other hand was looking franticly between his ninja and his lord fiddling with his fingers as he tried to figure out what he was supposed to do. The uneasy silence was making Yuzuki nervous. She could feel sweat on her head and the back of her neck as she looked back at lord Shingen. Then she took a deep breath and decided to break the silence. "Um….so what are you going to do with me…..lord Shingen?"

"Tell me girl what's your name?" The question seemed odd to her for some reason but answered it nervously, "Yuzuki Hitomi s-sir." He nodded and sat down in the chair at the other side of the room. "And tell me Miss Yuzuki who sent you to assassinate me?" Now she was getting really nervous. "Hanbei Takenaka; of the Toyotomi army." Shingen nodded again. "So you work for Hanbei Takenaka then?" And then she sighed, "I wish I didn't have to but yes." He moved his elbows to his knees and rested his chin on top of his folded hands. "What do you mean you wish you didn't have to?" This was going to get interesting. "Well for one he pays me only ¾ of what he should be paying me, and he treats me like shit all day long. If I had other option I'd leave a soon I could but he was the only one willing to hire me at the time so in order to get money to survive I had no other real options. Such is the life of the Shinobi." The Tiger of Kai grinned with amusement as he stood up and walked over to her. "Well what if I told you I had another option for you?" She couldn't possibly imagine what he was thinking about. "Like…..?" Sasuke apparently caught on to his lord's train of thought and aroused from his position at the door frame. "You could work here under my ninja corps?"

Yuzuki couldn't believe what she was hearing! A few hours ago she was trying to kill these people but yet here they were offering her a good job and a second chance. "I would love to work here as one of the Sanada ninja! I really appreciate this I mean I really really appreciate this!" She would have loved to of hugged one of them but considering she was injured, tied to the bed, and she knew that would be awkward it never happened. Sasuke walked over and untied the rope and gave her a smile. "Now look just because you're not tied to the bed anymore doesn't mean that you get to move around a lot; not with your injuries anyway." She was caught off guard by his sudden kindness and couldn't help but smile back. "Thank you." His smile turned into a grin. "No sweat and besides you'll like it better here anyway; you'll get the correct amount of pay and it's kinda fun working in Kai" Yuzuki nodded. Yukimura, and lord Shingen had left the room while Sasuke pulled the chair closer to her bed and sat down. "So Yuzuki tell me a little bit about you."

She thought about it and there really wasn't much to tell. "What do you want to know?" That seemed like it would make the first question easier to answer. "Well for starter what your favorite color?" He sat there with his arms crossed and a smirk on his face as he asked her simple questions in teasing tones. By the time the sun started getting low she had told him that; her favorite color was red, your favorite flower was the wood poppy since it was simple but still beautiful, her favorite thing to eat was dango, and that her favorite weapon was her katana. In return she discovered that; his favorite color was green, his favorite flower was the cherry blossoms, and he favored his large three pronged shuriken. He told her that he didn't really have a favorite type of food because he'd pretty much eat anything.

They talked and laughed for a while and then he asked one final question that caught her way off guard. "So do you have any friends around the country?" Yuzuki got quiet and looked down at her hands. "I….I did have one friend but he's…dead now." There a moment of silence before Sasuke said, "Was he close you?" Yuzuki nodded. "Yea he was my best friend. He always made me laugh and he knew almost everything about me. But he was killed on one of our missions." Sasuke put his hand lightly on her shoulder. "I'm sorry to hear that, I really am." Wanting to change the subject Yuzuki poked his forehead and said, "So what's Yukimura like he didn't say much when I saw him earlier?"

Sasuke smiled. "Oh Danna you'll like him. He can be extreamly dense and a bit of a dolt but he's fun to be around. He has good intention most of the time but his actions may seem strange." Yuzuki giggled. Yukimura sounded a lot like her old friend. Suddenly she heard lord Shingen yell out Yukimura's name. At first she was worried something might of happened but then she heard Yukimura yell out to lord Shingen. The exchange of greetings kept going on and on. They sounded excited for the most part but every now and then she would hear a loud thump as if they had run into something or fell really hard. Sasuke saw her confused and worried expression and laughed. "Yuzuki calm down this is a normal thing for them. They can get pretty dramatic but there just fooling around…you get used to it." She looked at Sasuke with a look of disbelief. "Are you sure because they're pretty loud and it last for a while." Sasuke just laughed again. "Trust me you get used to it. You wind up having to listen to it almost every day. But it's getting late and it sounds like they've stopped so why don't you get some sleep. Those injuries need to heal quickly so that you can get to work." He smiled one last time before shutting the Shoji door behind him as he left.


	2. Who Would Have Ever THought

Chapter 2: Who Would Have Ever Thought-Sasuke

Sasuke walked over and knocked on the door. "Yes." Yuzuki answered groggily. "Come on sleepy we've got border patrol to do move it. If you're not out here in five minutes I'm coming in." He heard her mumbling and sat down to wait. Yuzuki had been staying with the Takeda for about a week now and today was going to be her first day working for them as a ninja. Sasuke planned on taking her with him for the border patrol and then figured he would show her around a bit. She seemed to be adjusting well to Kai which was a good thing. She finally came out her ninja gear on and a bright smile on her face. She grinned at Sasuke and he laughed. "So much for not being a morning person there sunshine." She rolled her eyes. "I told you that once I actually get up I'm fine and ready to go. Getting me up is the only real challenge."

Sasuke laughed and jumped up into the trees. Yuzuki followed as he took her out for the daily patrol. They leapt from branch to branch scanning the area for anything out of the ordinary. The morning was quiet and peaceful as the birds chirped away and the wind sent the choir of leaves singing out the song they did when rustled. Sasuke loved every little detail of the forest; the birds, and the leaves, and the small animals that roam the forest floor.

The leaves had bursted into a frenzy of color over the past few weeks due to the coming fall. Sasuke looked around at the bright vibrant red's, the luminous gold's, and the copper glint of the orange's. The forest seemed ablaze with the early morning light flittering in through the gaps and making the leaves and the trees burn with a fierce beauty. The sky was also colorful this morning. The soft pink and orange lit the sky with such a contrast to the blaze of the forest.

Sasuke loved fall more than any other season. Kai is at its peak beauty in the fall so colorful and mesmerizing. He looked back at Yuzuki who was looking around at the trees herself. The breeze blew sending leave spiraling like embers all around her. Sasuke had to admit she was pretty. She had purple hair that stood out amongst her surroundings and beautiful blue eyes. As they moved through the trees Sasuke noticed the usual change in scenery telling him that they were close to the Echigo border and at just the right time.

Kasuga stopped once she caught sight of the two. Sasuke stopped on the branch in front of her with Yuzuki at his side. "So Kasuga, how are things in Echigo?" She rolled her eyes and focused her attention on his new companion. "Who is she?" Sasuke laughed lightly. "This is the newest member of the Sanada ninja corps Yuzuki Hitomi." Sasuke was taken aback by the horrified expression on Kasuga's face. "Sasuke, do you know who she is? She works for the Toyotomi! Hanbei Takenaka sends her out to kill other warlords and ninja like us! For all I know she could have been sent her to kill us both! Get the hell away from me!"

Sasuke looked back at Yuzuki who was standing in frozen fear. Her body was shaking and her expression showed guilt, fear, regret, and sadness. "Kasuga don't shout at her like that! She attempted to kill lord Shingen and Yukimura about a week ago. I caught her and after a series of question she is now a part of our forces. She won't be killing anyone without lord Shingen or Yukimura's orders! She isn't who you think she is!"

Kasuga shook her head and pulled out 8 Kunai. She immediately threw the Kunai and in Yuzuki's attempt to evade she was hit twice on her left leg sending her to the forest floor. Sasuke froze when he thought he heard a crack. He saw Kasuga preparing to strike again so he made a move. Sasuke rushed over and flung himself on top of Yuzuki making Kasuga hesitate. "Move it Sarutobi or I will fling these at you first."

Sasuke felt Yuzuki's hand on his chest as she struggled to push him off. Sasuke moved and she took off disappearing into the blazing trees. Kasuga was about to head after her but Sasuke being the faster shinobi of the two grabbed her by the wrist stopping her.

"Stop it Kasuga! That girl has been forced into serving Toyotomi because it was the only thing she could find! She was mistreated and severely under paid. It took every ounce of her strength to make it through the days. She isn't the kind of person you think she is. She is just scared and lonely. She came with me today hoping for a better job and a better life and now I don't even know if I'll be able to find her let alone convince her to come back! You can be such a cruel person sometimes Kasuga! Maybe if you quite jumping to conclusion every time you see someone that you've only heard about things like this might never happen. Dammit Kasuga are you even listening to me!"

Sasuke felt furious. He couldn't believe Kasuga would outright attack a fellow shinobi of his. He was still worried about the crack he though he heard after she fell. "You had better hope I find her. She is probably scared to death and I know she's injured thanks to you. She just recovered from serious injuries a few days ago! I honestly thought you had more self control."

He took off in the direction Yuzuki had left pushing his limit on speed to catch up with his new injured comrade. As he flew through the trees he was almost knocked off balance from a stray shuriken that passed by his head. He looked to see a hand retreat back behind a tree. He jumped over to the tree and saw Yuzuki leaning against the trunk of the tree clutching her knee.

When he looked down at her knee he saw that on hand was holding her knee while the other gripped the kunai knife that was still embedded in her knee. There was another kunai in her thigh that was staining her grey shorts scarlet. Sasuke looked up at her face. She was looking at him with watery eyes. Silent tears streamed down her face the sun reflecting of her wet cheeks. He knelt down and pulled a roll of bandages out of his bag. He offered her a hand silently and she hesitantly removed her hands from her knee and the kunai.

"This is going to hurt just a little okay." She nodded. He grabbed the kunai in his left hand and placed his right firmly on her leg. Quickly he pulled the kunai out and moved to the one on her thigh. He pulled that one out quickly like he did before and then took the roll of bandages and wrapped them around her wounds. "Well so much for you first day. I'm really sorry about Kasuga I had no idea she would react that way."

He helped her to her feet and placed her arm around his shoulder. "I'm also sorry that you will be confined to recovering again but this time it won't take as long." She nodded her head slowly and wiped her eyes on the sleeve of her coat. "Thank you Sasuke." Those beautiful blue eyes were now looking at him with a kind sadness in them. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into a hug mainly because he felt like that was what she needed the most. "Anytime don't mention it. Let's get back patrol is done for the day."

He got her back to the Takeda mansion and He slowly moved her along to the infirmary. Before he opened the door he heard the sound of a familiar voice shouting his name from across the compound. "SASUKE!" Yukimura ran over to greet him but then looked at Yuzuki and became worried instantly. Lord Shingen rounded the corner and saw the commotion and walked over himself. "What is going on over here?" Sasuke pointed to Yuzuki's leg. "Sasuke, how did Yuzuki get injured? I thought you were only taking her for a border patrol?"

Sasuke nodded his head. "Yea well we ran into Kasuga. Kasuga apparently has heard of the things Hanbei Takenaka has had her do and overreacted." Lord Shingen nodded and opened the door to the infirmary for him. After nodding his head in thanks he half walked half carried Yuzuki inside." He set her down on one of the beds and walked off to search for one of the doctors.

Sasuke found one of the female doctors and brought hr around to have a look at Yuzuki's knee. Sasuke gave her smile. "I'll be back soon." Yuzuki nodded and Sasuke left. Sasuke headed for the kitchen area and grabbed two plates of food one for Yuzuki and one for himself. He walked back over to the infirmary. He walked in and sat down in a chair next to Yuzuki and handed her the plate of food. "Want some lunch?" She nodded and took the plate from him.

Sasuke and Yuzuki ate in silence. Sometimes silence was okay but then there were times like these where Sasuke just felt flat out uncomfortable. "So uh…do you like living in Kai?" Sasuke was looking at the floor playing with his fork. He heard a laugh; it was small at first than it gradually got bigger and bigger until it was the only thing he could hear. He looked up at her face as she laughed her eyes closed and her smile stretched across her face.

"What's so funny?"

"You."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It's really easy to tell when you're nervous."

Sasuke sighed letting out laughter himself. He was nervous that much was true. The only problem was that he didn't know what he was nervous about. "And yes I do like living in Kai. Kai is a beautiful place and it's full of kind people." They talked for the rest of the day. Laughing here and there and sharing stories.

Yukimura walked in at one point wanting to spar with Sasuke. Sasuke accepted his young master's request. "Yuzuki you wanna watch me beat Yukimura up?" Yuzuki laughed and nodded. Sasuke walked over and helped her out to the porch. He walked over to the opposite side of the clearing and pulled out is shuriken. "Come on Dana show me what you got."

Yukimura charged him as he usually did. Sasuke easily blocked his spears with his shuriken flinging himself into the air with his ninja speed and grace. He landed lightly on his feet behind his young master with his shuriken still interlocked in the tips of Yukimura spears. Sasuke spun Yukimura around by swinging his arms around. Sasuke then pushed Yukimura to the ground using his foot. His spears went into the air one landing on its side while the other one lodged itself into the ground. Yukimura landed on his butt with a thud knocking the wind out of him.

"Come on Yukimura! That was pathetic! This match lasted for about five seconds." Yukimura was about to go off on how unworthy he was and all the crap he usually beat himself up over but Sasuke stopped him. "Hey don't get upset about it I just know you to well and can predict your movements setting mine accordingly. Just work on using a different approach instead of charging out right as soon as the fight begins."

Yukimura nodded and sulked away back to his room. Sasuke then moved to sit next to a smiling Yuzuki. "Poor master Sanada." She laughed quietly. "Ah he's just so predictable." Sasuke leaned back so that he was laying on the porch with his hands behind his head. Yuzuki watched Yukimura as he walked down the path slowly getting farther in the distance. "You know something Sasuke?" He tone was light and content. She rested her head on her good knee with her arms wrapped around her leg. "What?" he asked in the same light tone.

"I never want to leave this place."

Sasuke subtly turned his head the other was hiding the smile that played across his lips hoping that she didn't notice.

_And I never want you to. _He thought still smiling.


	3. Take Two

Chapter 3: Take Two- Yuzuki

Yuzuki walked into the war room with Sasuke and they sat down behind Yukimura. Lord Shingen had called them for a meeting and it sounded rather important. "Good the three of you are here now. With the Devil King Oda terrorizing the land of the rising sun something must be done about it! I plan on trying to rally the eastern generals to plan a full scale assault on Oda. Maeda Keiji as you have heard is trying to do the same thing. Now we know that he is headed for our friend Masamune at the moment. Yuzuki I want you to head over there and help try and convince the One-Eyed Dragon since he is a stubborn man. Sasuke I would like you to go to Azai Nagamasa for his help as well as present this idea to Kenshin. Yukimura I want you to deliver this message to Ieyasu Tokugawa. If this goes as planned Date will try going out on his own so we will use him as our spearhead. The Uesugi and Takeda will follow Date and pick up Tokugawa and Azai along the way. Now go and be as persistent and persuasive as possible."

Yuzuki and Sasuke left immediately with their ninja speed while Yukimura went to the stables to get a horse. Yuzuki headed north to the home of the One-Eyed Dragon. She jumped into the courtyard and had to duck as a large sword swung over almost cutting her head off! "Whoa what the HELL!" The two men stopped creating a tens silence. "Whoa, what the hell yourself." Yuzuki looked over at a young man with shaggy brown hair and an eye patch over his right eye. He was wearing a white haori and blue hakama. "Are you the One-Eyed Dragon?" The man sheathed his six swords and crossed his arms a look of amusement in his expression.

"What if I am?" Yuzuki knelt down and relayed the message lord Shingen had requested of her. "Lord Masamune I come with a message and a request from Kai. Lord Shingen has asked me to come to you in search of assistance." She looked up at the man who now looked agitated. "You see sir; we need the help of the Date army's numbers and strength in our assault on Oda at Nagashino. I was told that a man by the name of Maeda Keiji would be here to ask the same thing of you but lord Shingen sent me to reinforce the request."

She waited for a response listening to the steady beat of the rain as it poured down on them all. "Like I already told the Maeda clown I don't work well with others." She sighed and took a couple of deep breaths. Lord Shingen had warned her about his stubbornness but what this guy didn't know was that she could be just as if not even more stubborn than him.

"Lord Masamune with the combined forces of Date, Takeda, Uesugi, Azai, and Tokugawa we would have the upper hand against Oda! If we continue to let him roam about and cause destruction then the land will surely be his by this time next year! I have been informed that you have already met the Devil King at Okehazema. I was also told that his gaze caused you to hesitate. You wouldn't be refusing because you are afraid of the Devil King would you?"

Yuzuki smiled when she saw the anger in his lone blue eye. She had hit a nerve with this man and it was obvious. "Tch, like hell I'd be afraid of that guy! I told you I wouldn't be going and I have my reasons. If you think I'm scared than think again!" Then a man walked up to him and pulled him to the side. The two men were having a privet argument so she patiently waited. Then a man came over from behind her. He had long brown hair that was tied up into a high ponytail. He had three feathers in his hair and a small monkey on his shoulder.

"Hello my name is Keiji and this little guy here is Yumekichi. When you get the chance tell lord Shingen that I appreciate him sending you to help me out. Masamune is defiantly one hard nut to crack." She nodded and smiled at the little monkey who waved to her. "My name is Yuzuki Hitomi I am the newest member of the Sanada ninja corps."

The two men walked back over having ended their argument. "We leave tomorrow morning." Yuzuki looked up at him in surprise. He gave in to his retainer so easily! That must be the Dragon's Right Eye Kojuro Katakura. Yuzuki supposed that if there was anyone in this world you could get through to the Dragon it was his Right Eye. Keiji smiled as well and she followed the three men inside to get away from the rain.

The next morning the army took off for Nagashino where they would meet up with Takeda, Uesugi, Tokugawa, and Azai. Yuzuki ran beside Masamune's horse as they went. They were very nearly there when Yuzuki saw an army flag in the distance. It had the Azai Mon on it and so Yuzuki went straight to Nagamasa Azai. She came up to the blonde haired man but was stopped by his lance which was now pointed dangerously in her face. "Lord Nagamasa it's just the Date army. We are part of the eastern alliance we are on your side." The man looked at her with sad and regretful blue eyes.

"I am afraid you are mistaken ninja. I fight with my brother-in-law Oda Nobunaga. You are not my allies here but sadly my enemy." Yuzuki jumped back swiftly and pulled out her katana. "But Nagamasa-"She was cut off by the shake of his head. "Yuzuki my old friend I am deeply sorry. I cannot put Oichi in the position of having to choose between her brother and myself. I could never put my beloved Oichi in that kind of position." She had met Nagamasa and Oichi many times before in her past and knew them both to be kind people who only wanted their people to be happy. She knew that Nagamasa did not agree with what Nobunaga as doing but the fact that they were related by law prevented him from doing anything about it. "Nagamasa I understand if I must now be your enemy then so be it."

Masamune rode over his arms crossed face hidden behind his helmet. "I thought the generals were supposed to fight the generals. I never remember ninja fighting like this." She looked back and forth between the two men on either side of her. "Lord Masamune it is not uncommon for one's friend to want to fight when stuck in combat. I ask that you let me fight lord Nagamasa." The One-Eyed Dragon shook his head. "No this is between me and Azai your place is with Takeda go."

She nodded reluctantly and gave Nagamasa one last glance before disappearing into the trees. She raced for the Takeda camp and saw that they had begun fighting with Tokugawa. Nothing was going as planned! The lost both Azai and Tokugawa and now their hopes of having the upper hand had vanquished. Sasuke jumped down next to her startling her. "Yuzuki where's the Date army?" She shook her head. "They have been halted by the Azai army and are fighting a little ways back." She could see the stress and frustration in his eyes as he took in the information. "Dammit! I thought Azai was on our side! I heard an order go out to the Oda army harquebus corps to go and shoot down Azai! This could get ugly."

She nodded and quickly ran back the way she had come hopefully to warm both Date and Azai in time. The battle had already seemed as if it had been going on for hours as she got back to the two clashing armies both with a number of dead and wounded soldiers. Azai and Date were fighting in the center of it all lighting and flashed of pure white light engulfed the battlefield. As she tried to get the information out it seemed as if no one could hear her due to the heat of battle. No man was free to listen. Then both armies came to a haunting silence as the harquebus corps came rolling in on the other side of the field. Mitsuhide Akechi was on his demonic looking horse smiling with his creepy smile. He let go of Oichi and she ran across the field trying desperately to get to Nagamasa. She noticed that the firearms were trained on Nagamasa and not Masamune so she quickly acted accordingly. She tried to run and drag Nagamasa to the ground to save him but was too late.

She had almost reached him when the gun went off. She heard the crack of the fire and then felt a sharp pain in her side and her leg. She fell to the ground hard making her cry out. She heard the distant scream of Oichi as she fell to her knees to Nagamasa who had been shot multiple times. Yuzuki struggled to sit up and crawled her way over to her two old friends. Oichi was weeping into Nagamasa's chest as she pulled him close. Blood ran down the side of his face staining his blonde hair a sickening crimson. She managed to sit beside Oichi and put a hand on her shoulder.

Nagamasa's hand went up to Oichi's face and Yuzuki looked down at him. His eyes were full of pain and regret but he had a smile on his face as he looked at his wife for what looked to be the last time. "Oichi I-I'm sorry. I love you O-ichi" His hand dropped to the ground and Oichi cried out to him begging him not to go. Oichi clung to Yuzuki then arms wrapped around her neck. "Oichi I'm sorry. I tried but I was just too late." Yuzuki tried to remain focused but her vision seemed to elude her and her head felt like it was spinning. The pain in her side seemed more noticeable now than it had before. The last things she heard were Oichi's sobs, Mitsuhide's maniacal laugh, and Masamune cursing in the background.

_Sasuke jumped down and rushed across the battlefield. He knelt down next to Yuzuki and picked her up removing her arm from Oichi's grasp. He turned around to see Masamune Date enraged and glaring down the field at Mitsuhide. "One-Eyed Dragon I suggest you retreat. With this many firearms turned against you your at an extreme disadvantage." He looked as If he was about to protest but then Kojuro Katakura came riding over with his horse. "Lord Masamune the shinobi is right, we should retreat." Having heard the suggestion from his right eye the Dragon sighed heavily and lifted himself on his horse after looking back at the two bloodied people on the ground by Oichi and Sasuke. _

_ Sasuke lifted Yuzuki up and ran into the trees heading back to Kai. One of his ninja ran up beside him. "Master Sarutobi, where are you going?"Sasuke had to fight to keep his voice steady and calm. "I need to get Yuzuki back to Kai as fast as possible! Tell lord Shingen and master Sanada that I'll be waiting for them back home." The ninja nodded and left. The ninja went back to the battlefield and found master Sanada. "Where's Sasuke?" The young warrior sounded worried since it was Sasuke himself that usually reported to him. "Yuzuki was shot down by the Oda harquebus corps and he is making a desperate run to Kai."_

_ "WHAT? Is Yuzuki going to be okay?" The young warrior looked very worried now. His eyes were wide in disbelief. "From what I saw…It would take a miracle for her to survive. She was shot in the side and in the leg. Azai Nagamasa was shot as well but we know he is dead. Yuzuki is alive now but I don't know for how much longer. The Date army is currently in the process of retreating. And I think we should as well."_

It felt like her side was burning and she could hardly feel her leg. She felt the wind rushing past her and her hair was flying all over the place. She had regained consciousness for a little while and opened her eyes to see Sasuke. He had a scared and determined expression running as fast as he could. "S-Sasuke?" He looked down at her his eyes wide and scared. "Yuzuki! You'll be okay I promise! I won't let you die!" She could feel his heart racing in his chest and she could hear his hard breathing as he sprinted through the trees. She looked down to see her blood stains on both her shirt and his. The camo now obtained a new color along with the browns and greens.

She felt the cold metal tips of his gloves on her arm where the sleeve had been torn. She was having trouble breathing the air coming in and out rough and uneven. She was still fighting the threat of unconsciousness and at this point she was just too weak to win the battle. Her eyes closed involuntarily and her mind started shutting down until darkness enveloped her and she drifted off.

_Sasuke flew through the gates and ran down yelling out for one of the female doctors. He ran into a room and laid Yuzuki down. He was about to turn and burst through the door again to find a doctor but one was already at his heels and was moving over to take care of her. Sasuke walked outside so that the doctor could get to work. He sat down on the porch and leaned his head back against the wall. He looked up at the sound of horses and he saw the One-Eyed Dragon and his Right eye riding up. _

_ "Hey Sarutobi, is that girl alright?" Masamune jumped down off his horse and ran up with Kojuro at his heels. "I-I don't know she in there with a doctor right now." Sasuke cursed silently for letting the fear show in his voice. Then the two men did something Sasuke didn't expect. They walked over and sat down next to him on the porch. "The Takeda haven't gotten back from the battlefield yet?" Sasuke shook his head. "No I sent one of my men to tell Yukimura and lord Shingen that I was heading back. Where is the rest of your army?"_

_ "We sent them on ahead back home."After a couple minutes the doctor came and opened the door allowing the three of them in. Sasuke sat down at Yuzuki's side and let out a sigh of relief seeing the rise and fall of her chest. Then he looked over as Masamune walked by. "So she's going to live then?" the doctor looked a little down about the question. "Well you see. I've done all I can for her. Whether or not she lives now is all up to her."_

_ "Lord Masamune do you want to stay a while to make sure?" The Dragon smiled and shook his head. "Nah if it's really is up to her if she lives or dies then we have nothing to worry about. When we find the time we'll come back so I can thank her for saving my life." The Dragon's Right Eye nodded and they said their goodbyes before leaving to go back home. Sasuke sat there next to Yuzuki all da. He was about to fall asleep when he heard the sounds of the Takeda army filing in. Before Sasuke even stood up Yukimura came running in. "SASAUKE IS YUZUKI ALRIGHT?" The red clad warrior ran over to the far side of the room where Yuzuki was laying. "She'll be okay Dana." He sounded extremely tiered and he could hear the relief in his own voice "Thank goodness from what one of your men said told me I thought she might not be alive right now." _


	4. The Truth Comes Out

Chapter 4: The Truth Comes Out-Sasuke

"Dammit I hate just laying here all day!" Yuzuki had been complaining for weeks about having to rest and recover. "Well that's what happens when you get shot in the leg and in the side. Just deal with it you'll recover quicker if you would quit complaining." She gave him a defiant look crossing her arms. "I'm just not use to this. When I worked for Hanbei he sent out on mission after mission it didn't matter if I was hurt or sick. He would basically tell me to suck it up and move on with the mission or I'd lose my job! But then again that's what happens when you work for a bastard like that."

Sasuke was surprised. He knew that she had been treated badly by Takenaka but he never thought that it was that bad. "Hey Yuzuki tell ya what, I'm going to go talk the doctor into letting me walk you around the castle." Yuzuki's eyes lit up and a smile formed on her face. "Yes Sasuke I would love nothing more right now!" Sasuke laughed and stood heading for the door. "Anything to, stop you from whining over there. It's very un-ninja like."He popped out of the room and almost collided with the doctor.

"Oh hey I was just about to come looking for you." The doctors eyebrows furrowed in alarm. "Is Yuzuki alright? I was just coming around to check on her." Sasuke shook his head and put his hands up. "No no she's fine. A little whiny but that's what I wanted ask you about. You see I was going to ask if you would let me walk Yuzuki around the castle. I promise that she'll take it easy and that I will support most of her weight." Sasuke gave her a cheesy smile to match his childish pleading voice. The doctor stood there for a moment thinking the request through. "Oh all right. I'm sick of hearing her complain myself. Just make sure you're not out too long."

Sasuke ran back into the room as soon as he got the okay. "Okay Yuzuki you finally get to see the outside world again." He knelt down and she put her arm over his shoulder. Slowly and carefully they stood up, Yuzuki clutching Sasuke's shirt with both hands. Sasuke started to walk and Yuzuki hopped along with him on her uninjured leg. "So Yuzuki, are you sure you'll be okay?" She nodded her head without hesitation. "Of course I'll be fine! I have you right here after all don't I?" He nodded liking the sound of the idea.

_You can bet I'll always be right here for you._

They walked along until they wandered into the training grounds where Yukimura was training vigorously as per usual. He swung his spear around and stopped when he saw them. "Yuzuki they let you walk around today that's great!" Yuzuki laughed. "Yea well I don't really consider this walking. It's more like Sasuke half carrying me and I'm hopping along but hey its progress right?" Yukimura smiled in agreement and giving Sasuke a strange look. Yukimura's eyes looked half open and he was giving Sasuke a half grin.

"Hey Sasuke, lord Shingen said that we don't have any plans of action and so he wanted me to let you know that you, Yuzuki and the rest of the ninja corps can take it easy for a while. Think of it as a long period of nothing but free time." Sasuke raised an eyebrow at him clearly suspicious. When it finally registered in his head what Yukimura was saying he was tempted to go and punch him. Yukimura figuring stuff out one his own was rare. If Yukimura of all people could figure it out then Sasuke knew that he was making it to obvious without realizing it.

"Well see you later Dana." The red clad samurai nodded and went back to his training. Sasuke then figured out exactly where he wanted to go. He swung his arm down to pick her up and started jumping up into the trees. "Sasuke, where are we going?" He smiled down at her. "You'll see." He jumped carefully through the trees until he found the right tree. He jumped up to the highest branch that would support them. He sat down and leaned back against the trunk of the tree and setting Yuzuki down so that she was sitting the same way only that she was leaned against his chest her injured led stretched out along the branch.

He watched as she looked over to the left where a field of cherry blossoms was spread out. He eyes were wide her mouth opened slightly. "It's beautiful Sasuke!" He just stayed against the tree with his hands behind his head. "Just wait till the sun starts to go down." The only two people that knew about this place were Yukimura and himself although Yukimura only came here when he couldn't find Sasuke. Yukimura knew that if Sasuke wasn't nearby that he was in this tree.

They sat there watching the sun sink lower behind the mountains. The light from the setting sun made the cherry blossoms glow in pink and orange. The breeze kicked up sending the petals everywhere. The petals looked like embers floating through the trees and the sky. Yuzuki still had a look of amazement on her face and Sasuke thought that now would be a great time to say what he needed to say. He leaned his head down close to her ear and whispered, "Yuzuki, I love you." He waited in a pause of silence until she whispered back. "I love you too Sasuke." He smiled and wrapped his arms around her. She moved her hands up to hold his as they rested against her collar bone. He rested his chin on the top of her head as she rested her head comfortably against his chest. After a while her breathing slowed. "Yuzuki?" He smiled and laughed quietly. This was the first night she had fallen asleep so easily. He closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep as well.

"SASUKE!" Sasuke opened his eyes to see Yukimura's face. Yukimura had climbed the tree was standing on the branch below his head level with Sasuke's. "Dana why'd you climb all the way up here all ya had to do was call for me." He was trying to keep his voice low since Yuzuki had slept through Yukimura's wakeup call. "But Sasuke that's the thing I did call you several times." Had he really been that tired? He looked up at the sky and saw that the sun was already high in the sky. "What time is it? It has to be noon by now!" Yukimura nodded. "That's why I climbed up here to wake you up. And I see that you and Yuzuki are getting along." Sasuke rolled his eyes remembering the comment he made yesterday. "Shut up Yukimura!"

She placed a hand on Yuzuki's shoulder and shook gently. "Yuzuki, come on wake up it's about noon." She didn't budge so Sasuke lifted her up and jumped down to the ground and waited for Yukimura to climb his way back down. They started walking back to the castle once Yukimura figured his way out of the tree. They gates to the castle were just up ahead. Yuzuki woke up blinking a couple times to adjust to the light. "Good afternoon Yuzuki." She looked up at the sky. "It's noon already! Why didn't you wake me up?"

Sasuke smiled. "There was no sense in waking you up. It's not like you're going to be doing much of anything today." Her expression turned into a pout and Sasuke laughed. "Hey don't worry, you'll be walking around and training again in no time." She rolled her eyes and looked to the side. Sasuke couldn't help but think she look cute when she did that. When Sasuke slid the door to her room open he was greeted by a very angry looking doctor. "Where the HELL have you two been! I told you not to be out long and I haven't seen you since!"

Sasuke walked over and carefully sat Yuzuki down. "Calm down 'mother' all we did yesterday was sit in a tree. And I carried her up the tree in case you wanted to freak out about that to." The doctor looked at him with annoyance. "You were out there all night! I had no idea if Yuzuki was alright!" Yuzuki cleared her throat. "I'm right here ya know and I happen to be perfectly fine. In fact I last night I slept better than any other night spent cooped up in this room!" The doctor looked at her with surprise. "Really?" Yuzuki nodded. "Yes really. I think the fresh air helps." Sasuke laughed quietly to himself. "She fell asleep and hardly moved around at all. She had a peaceful night for once." The doctor sighed. "I guess it has to be the fresh air but for now I need to change the bandages so master Sarutobi if you wouldn't mind waiting outside."

Sasuke walked out almost colliding with Yukimura. Yukimura backed up and Sasuke closed the door. "Did you need something Dana?" Yukimura shook his head. "No I don't need you but lord Shingen says he needs you. Sasuke nodded and headed to the war room where lord Shingen would be waiting. Sasuke knelt down outside the door. "Sarutobi Sasuke reporting." When lord Shingen told him to come in he quickly slid the door open and moved to sit in front of Shingen. "What did you need sir?"

"Sasuke I need you to run an errand for me. Your men have been reporting strange behavior from the Toyotomi and I would like you to go check it out." Sasuke nodded and left making his way back to Yuzuki's room. The door was open so Sasuke walked in. Yuzuki was the only one in the room now. She was laying on her back looking up at the ceiling until Sasuke closed the door. She looked over at him and smiled. Sasuke walked over and sat down next to her and she pushed herself up to sit as well.

"Hey lord Shingen is sending me on a little mission so I'll be gone for a few days." Her expression turned into a pout but Sasuke saw the humor in her eyes. "Awww but then I have to stay stuck in this room for a couple days." Sasuke laughed. "You'll live I promise. And I also promise that as soon as I get back I'll take you back up to the tree and we can spend all day up there." Yuzuki nodded. "I'll miss you Sasuke." He slid closer to her and wrapped his arms around her waist and she wrapped her arms around his neck. Their faces were centimeters apart. Sasuke felt her warm breath on his lips and she smelled of cherry blossoms. "Don't worry I won't be gone long," he whispered her bangs tickling his nose.

He brushed his lips across her before he finally kissed her. She leaned forward kissing him back when the door slid open. They broke away turning to see who had opened the door. Sasuke had expected Yukimura but instead he saw the most unexpected of people. "K-Kasuga what are you doing here?" She was standing dumbfounded in the middle of the doorway. After blinking a couple of times she regained her composure. "I was sent her by my lord Kenshin to help you with your mission involving the Toyotomi. Master Sanada told me I could find you in here, I'm sorry if I was interrupting." Sasuke looked back at Yuzuki and stood up. "No not at all I was just giving Yuzuki a kiss goodbye. I'm ready to go when you are." Kasuga nodded and Sasuke took off following her.

"So Sarutobi what was all that about?" Sasuke shrugged his shoulders. "I told you I was kissing her goodbye. In case it wasn't obvious I love her." Kasuga laughed. "Do you really? Are you honestly telling me you're in love with a girl you have only known for a short while?" Sasuke's eyebrow was twitching with annoyance. "Says the kunoichi who abandoned her village because she fell in love with a man at first sight!" Kasuga's face turned as red as Yukimura's armor. "SHUT UP SARUTOBI!" Sasuke sighed. This was going to be a very long mission.

They traveled the rest of the way in silence seeming that they both had sort tempers at the moment. When they got to Odawara they snuck into the war room successfully and made sure they were hidden as people filed in for a war council. Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Hanbei Takenaka sat in the front facing group of what looked like highly trained and skilled shinobi. Hanbei Takenaka was the one to speak. "Have you discovered the whereabouts of my head ninja yet?" His tone was cold and Sasuke detected impatience in his voice.

Sasuke wanted to jump down there and give the bastard a piece of his mind but thought better of it. Sasuke knew he was talking about Yuzuki and he didn't like it one bit. "Yes lord Hanbei. She is currently in Kai." Hanbei stood up in annoyance. "I sent her over a month ago to kill the Tiger of Kai and his cub what the hell is taking her so long?" The shinobi that had answered him first spoke again. "You see lord Hanbei she has betrayed us for the Takeda. When we last saw her she was asleep in a tree with the Sanada ninja Sarutobi Sasuke and she looked plenty happy to be there." Hanbei clenched his fist. "I thought shinobi weren't supposed to let personal feeling affect their job?" The ninja nodded. "It seems she forgot about that rule. It is very clear that Yuzuki and the Sanada ninja are in love sir."

Hanbei sat down again and held his head as if he had a headache. "I don't care if she loves him or not your mission is to bring her back here to me so that I can teach her a thing or two about betraying me!" The ninja nodded and left. Sasuke wanted to follow them out but with Hanbei and Hideyoshi still in the room he would be spotted. It was driving him crazy waiting for the two warlords to leave. When they finally left He jumped down and dashed out with Kasuga at his heels. "Sasuke don't do anything foolish." Sasuke ignored her and kept running as fast as he could. "SASUKE STOP!" Kasuga yelled at him. He stopped and turned around. "WHAT!" Kasuga sighed. "There are too many of those ninja and they look like they are far better trained and equipped than we are. So not only are we outnumbered we are out matched! Think about this Sasuke, what is the best way we can deal with these guys."

Sasuke knew she was right. His ran his hands angrily though his hair. "Damn what kind of shinobi am I? I'm better than this! I've never let emotion get to me like this!" He sat down against the tree branch trying to think about how he was going to deal with these ninja. Kasuga sat down next to him. "Calm down Sasuke we'll figure this out. Those guys won't touch Yuzuki." He looked up at Kasuga a silent thank you shown in his eyes. "We'll what the best way to win when you're out numbered and out matched?" Sasuke smirked. "You outsmart." Kasuga smiled. "Exactly!"


	5. THe Plan Gone Wrong

Chapter 5: The Plan Gone Wrong-Yuzuki

Yukimura walked into the room to say good morning to Yuzuki like usual. Yuzuki noticed that his usual happy go lucky grin was replaced with worry. "What's wrong master Sanada?" He walked over and sat down next to her quietly. He was acting very unlike himself and Yuzuki couldn't help but be concerned. "Yukimura?" He took a deep breath and looked at Yuzuki. "I'm worried about Sasuke and Kasuga." Yuzuki's eye brow's furrowed in confusion. "What's there to worry about?" Again it took a few moments of quiet before he spoke again. "It's just that I feel like they should have come back by now. They were only sent out on a scouting mission. It shouldn't be taking them this long." Yuzuki did find it strange but didn't really take notice until Yukimura had said something.

It would have taken them a day to get to Odawara and it would take a few hours to get information and then another day to get back but it had been three days since they left. Yuzuki was able to walk on her own again but not very fast. She still had to be careful with each step. "I'm sure there fine no need to worry." Yukimura nodded absent mindedly not looking very reassured.

_Sasuke and Kasuga jumped through the trees following behind the Takenaka ninja. They were as close as they could get without being noticed. Their plan was to break off and attack them from the sides while using Sasuke's shadow clones to attack from behind and from the front to close them in. hoping that they would be caught off guard they set the risky plan into action._

_One of Sasuke's clones set out ahead to attack from the front while the real Sasuke set off for the right side and Kasuga the left. Once the clone up ahead was in position Sasuke's hawk signaled the time to attack. Kasuga made the first move by rushing in from the left and then Sasuke and the Sasuke clones followed coming in from all side boxing in the Takenaka ninja. They clashed with kunai and shuriken. Sasuke clones were holding up well against two of the Takenaka ninja._ _Sasuke and Kasuga were fighting the remaining two and doing quite well. Sasuke was a little concerned that they didn't look very surprised. The shinobi battle lasted for about ten minutes before the Takenaka ninja beat the clones and knocked Sasuke and Kasuga out cold._

Yuzuki was walking around the training grounds talking to Yukimura as he demolished the training dummies with his twin spears. "So you and the One-Eyed Dragon are rivals then?" Yukimura nodded while stabbing at the dummies again. "Yes me and the One-Eyed Dragon are heated rivals. I've never fought anyone like him! The thrill and passion in every fight leaves me wanting more but even I have my limits." Yuzuki laughed. "Yukimura Sanada has limits! Who would've ever thought?" Yukimura laughed as well. He set his spears to the side and wiped the seat off his forehead.

Yukimura walked over and sat down on the porch and Yuzuki joined him. Time spent with Yukimura was fun and enjoyable. He was easy to get along with and just had that sense of excitement about him. Yuzuki enjoyed having him around almost like a brother. Yuzuki liked Yukimura a lot but it was nothing like what she felt for Sasuke. She remembered back to when he was about to leave for his mission and he kissed her goodbye. She wished that it would've lasted longer but Kasuga had to interrupt.

"Yuzuki can I ask you something?" She looked over at the brunet and nodded. "Ask away." She leaned back placing her hands flat on the porch with her arms behind her. "What do think of Sasuke?" Yuzuki thought about it for a moment looking up at the clear blue sky. "What exactly do you mean?" She tilted her head to the side while looking back over at Yukimura. "I dunno I guess I mean what's going on between you two?" She felt the corner of her mouth quirk up into a half smile. "Well I guess the only way I can answer is that is to tell you that I love him."

It was silent for a little while but not in the uncomfortable way. It was a nice silence just sitting down with the breeze blowing through her hair. "He doesn't stop thinking about you. Ever since the first day you came here you've been the only thing on his mind." Yuzuki was surprised a little by Yukimura's quiet voice. "Really?" Yukimura nodded. He was looking up at the sky with a smile on his face. "It's funny. Ever since he left on that mission I can't seem to stop thinking about him either. It seems a little quieter around here when he's gone."

"Ya know, with you added to the ninja corps I have ten ninja. You, Sasuke, Saizo Kirigakure, Seikai Miyoshi, Isa Miyoshi, Kosuke Anayama, Rokuro Unno, Juzo Kakei, Rokuro Mochizuki, Kamanosuke Yuri." Yuzuki replayed the names of the ninja in her head putting faces to names. Some of the ninja she had yet to meet but she knew most of them well by now. She recognized Kosuke Anayama as he appeared in front of them. "Kosuke what is it?" Yukimura sounded excited and concerned. Kosuke pulled out a letter and handed it to Yuzuki. "A ninja form the Takenaka ninja corps gave this to me and I was told it was for you."

Yuzuki hesitantly took the letter staring at it for a few minutes. She was scared to open it, she was afraid of what Hanbei had written for her. She shakily unfolded the letter eye's wide. The first thing she saw when she opened the letter was a red stain on the corner of the right side. The dyed crimson of the paper made her even more afraid to read its contents knowing that it came from Odawara and that was where Sasuke was. With the eyes of Yukimura and Kosuke on her with anticipation she began to read the letter out loud.

"I-It says; Dear Yuzuki, I would like to inform you that lord Hanbei knows all about your treachery and is not happy about it in the least. We have also discovered that an Uesugi ninja in whom we have reason to believe is a friend of yours and your new lover Sarutobi Sasuke tried to listen in on our war council. These two ninja also tried to attack us when we started to head for Kai and they now lay unconscious within our hands. If you happen to want these ninja returned to their homes safe and in one piece then I suggest you follow my instructions. You are to meet us at the Kai/Odawara border tonight at midnight. You are only allowed to bring one person with you and we will make a trade of sorts. The person you bring with you will take the ninja we have back to Kai and we will take you back to Odawara so that lord Hanbei can punish you for your betrayal. -Ishidate Kagero."

Yuzuki stared at the letter in horror her hands shaking. "Yuzuki?" She could hear Yukimura calling her name but her voice wasn't working. She closed her eyes and clenched her hands into shaking fist. "Yukimura will you be the one to come with me?" She kept her voice steady despite the fear she felt inside. "Of course! But Yuzuki, you're not really going to let them take you back to Odawara are you?" Yuzuki nodded. "I am." Yukimura stood up. "WHAT?" Yuzuki Sighed. "Yukimura I did betray Hanbei and he has every right to punish me. And if Sasuke and Kasuga are in danger I will do anything to get them out of it."

She started to walk for the border since the sun was beginning to sink down and she had limited speed. Yukimura followed her in frustration. Yuzuki felt tears threatening to spill down her cheeks and quickly used her sleeve to brush them away. They got the border and waited. After a few minutes her old ninja corps dropped down from the trees. Two of the four were carrying Sasuke and Kasuga who were unconscious and bound by rope. Ishidate had a cocky grin on his face as he looked at Yuzuki. "So you agree to my terms then Yuzuki?" Yuzuki nodded while she glared into his cool green eyes.

"Yes Ishidate I agree to your terms. I only have one request." Ishidate's eyebrow rose suspiciously. "And what would that be?" Yuzuki gave Yukimura a quick glance. "Will you allow me to help Yukimura bring Sasuke and Kasuga back to the castle? If you want to make sure I'm not up to anything you can come along and if not you can be assured I'll come back." Ishidate laughed. "And what reason do I have to believe you would come back?" Yuzuki began to get irritated since she knew he was toying with her. "Because the last thing I want is for anything to happen to Sasuke! If I can do anything to make sure he gets home safely then I'll do it! Even if that means going back to Odawara."

Yuzuki glared at Ishidate who glared back. "Kiyosuke go with her." Kiyosuke nodded and handed Sasuke to her While Yukimura took Kasuga. They made their way back to the castle and Yuzuki walked inside Sasuke room and laid him down removing the ropes. She leaned down and Kissed Sasuke's forehead. "I'm sorry I won't be here when you wake up." She turned around and walked back out following Kiyosuke back to the border. The group set off with Yuzuki in the middle surrounded by the Takenaka ninja. She was guarded twenty four seven as they traveled. Four pairs of eyes were always focused on her.

They made it back to Odawara the next day and to Yuzuki's surprise Hanbei was waiting for them at the front gates. Ishidate stepped forward and bowed his head. "Lord Hanbei we have brought Yuzuki back as you wished." Hanbei nodded. "Good. Take her down to one of the prison cells." Ishidate nodded and grabbed Yuzuki by the arm and yanked her forwards. She was forced to push herself beyond her walking limit causing pain to rip through her leg. When they got down to the prison cells Ishidate opened one and threw her in casing her to land painfully on the floor. He closed the door locking it and made his way back the way they had come.

She used her elbow to lift herself up and moved to sit against the wall. She brought her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around her legs. She wondered how mad Sasuke was going to be when he woke up. She wondered what he was going to do about it. Would he come after her or would he use common sense and stay in Kai? A part of her wanted him to stay in Kai where it was safe but a small selfish part of her looked at down the hall hoping he would come and get her.

If Hanbei expected her to sit in this cell like a good little girl while he plotted ways to hurt her he must be out of his mind. She wasn't sitting there in hopes of a total rescue. Yuzuki was plotting her own escape looking for weak spots in the bars of the cell, planning on attacking whoever opened the cell next since they had conveniently forgot to chain her up.

While tapping the bars she did find a weak point. The bar was old and it was also starting to rust. It was still too strong for her to break with her own hands but she did have a plan. She slipped a file out of her glove and used it as a mini saw trying to cut through the bar. When she finally broke through to the other side of the bar she did the same thing to four more bars. She sawed through the last bar and slipped the file back into her glove. She took a deep breath and sent one good strong kick to the bars making an opening big enough for her to crawl through.

Once she was out of the cell she broke into a run. She ran down the hallway and up the stairs throwing the door open only to come slamming into Ishidate. Yuzuki stumbled back and tripped on a loose board. She landed on her but and Ishidate grabbed the front of her shirt. Ishidate lifted her up and slammed her into the wall. He then wrapped his hand around her throat coking her. Yuzuki clawed at his hand trying to free herself but it was no use. Ishidate punched her with his free hand and let go of her. She slumped down to the floor. Yuzuki's head was spinning and her nose hurt like hell. She felt blood rushing down her face. She brought her hands up to her face to hold her now broken nose. Ishidate then kicked her in the side hard. Yuzuki cried out in pain and fell unconscious.


	6. Problem After Problem

Chapter 6: Problem After Problem-Sasuke

Sasuke sat up slowly. He had a massive head ache and he couldn't remember why. "SASUKE!" He opened his eyes to see Yukimura wide eyed and in his right in his face. "D-Dana? Am I back in Kai?" Yukimura back up and sat down. Sasuke was beginning to worry since Yukimura was acting strange. He looked worried and he was being rather quiet. His hands kept clenching and unclenching as if he was nervous. "Y-yes S-Sasuke. Y-you and K-Kasuga have b-been here for t-three d-days now." Yukimura never stumbled like this. Sasuke looked around and sure enough he was back home in Kai. Kasuga lay on the floor next to him while Kenshin Uesugi knelt at her side. His lord Shingen was leaning against the door frame looking worried himself. As Sasuke looked around only one person seemed to be missing from this picture. "Where's Yuzuki?"

All of a sudden everyone's attention was on him. He looked across at three very sad and worried faces. When no one answered him Sasuke asked again with more force and worry. "Where is Yuzuki?!" Neither Yukimura nor his lord Shingen spoke. Instead it was the War God who answered him. "Yuzuki made a deal with the Toyotomi ninja. In order to get you and Kasuga home safely they demanded that Yuzuki go back with them to Odawara so that Hanbei Takenaka could punish her for her betrayal of the Toyotomi. She agreed and went with them so that you and Kasuga would be safe and out of harms grasp." Sasuke couldn't believe what he just heard. "WHAT?!" He immediately stood up. "Who let her do something so stupid?! Who was with her at the time?!" Yukimura stood up slowly with his head down. "I-I'm s-sorry S-Sasuke. I should've…..I should've stopped her I'm sorry." Without thinking Sasuke grabbed Yukimura by the front of his jacket.

"You mean you just let those bastards walk away with her! Why didn't you stop her! Better yet why the hell didn't you stop them! What was going through your head?!" Sasuke looked at Yukimura's face. He wouldn't look up he just hung his head down. Sasuke let him go and ran his fingers through his hair. "Look I'm sorry Yukimura it's not your fault. I shouldn't be wasting my time yelling at you for no reason. I need to go get Yuzuki back." Kenshin stood and placed a hand on Sasuke's shoulder. "I think we all would like to get Yuzuki back but we must use caution. We need a plan of action. The Toyotomi have a very strong and highly trained military force and they also have the upper hand in numbers." Shingen nodded his head. "He's right Sasuke even with the Takeda and Uesugi combined the Toyotomi could be a problem. WE need a little more help before we go charging into Odawara." Yukimura then was suddenly alert and had a grin on his face. "What about Masamune's forces?!" Sasuke grinned as well. "Well if we asked it's not like he could say no. The One-Eyed Dragon owes Yuzuki his life after all." Shingen nodded. "Then go to him and ask for his help. We must have Yuzuki back with us."

Sasuke nodded. "Yukimura come with me." The brunet nodded his head. "Alright let me go get my horse I'll meet you out by the gates." Sasuke nodded. Kasuga then sat up blinking her eyes a couple times. "What's going on?" Kenshin knelt down next to her as he was when Sasuke first woke up. Kasuga's face reddened. "L-lord Kenshin." He had his face mere inches away from hers but he had a serious and determined look on his face. "We are planning on rescuing Yuzuki my most beautiful blade." Then Kasuga became confused. "What do you mean?" Kenshin stood up and looked outside of the door as Yukimura came by with his horse. Sasuke turned to Kasuga and took a deep breath. "Look Yuzuki saved us from the Toyotomi and now we are planning to get her back. Lord Shingen, lord Kenshin and yourself will stay here and make a plan while Yukimura and I go north to ask the One-Eyed Dragon for help."

Sasuke then ran out the door and headed for Ōshū. Sasuke ran as fast as he could and Yukimura had his horse d the same. In a matter of hours they were busting through the gates of Yonezawa castle. Yukimura jumped of his horse and the two of them ran to the back courtyard where Masamune and Kojuro were sparring. Upon seeing his rival Masamune stopped his sparring session and looked at Yukimura with a slightly shocked grin. "Sanada Yukimura what brings you rushing in here out of the blue likes this." Sasuke took a step forward. "Lord Masamune we come here in need of your services. Yuzuki Hitomi of the Sanada ninja corps has risked her life for me and the Uesugi ninja. She is currently being held prisoner by Hanbei Takenaka and we need your help to get her back to Kai safely."

Masamune then took a minute to process the information he just got and then he looked straight at Sasuke. "Yuzuki Hitomi. That's the purple haired girl that saved my life back at Nagashino isn't it?" Sasuke nodded. Masamune turned to Kojuro and his retainer nodded. "I'll get the boys ready." Masamune walked over to Sasuke and Yukimura. "Now tell me how exactly did Yuzuki get kidnapped?" Sasuke clenched his fist. "I was on a scouting mission when I got attacked and defeated. The ninja that attacked me were Yuzuki's former ninja corps. They used me and the Uesugi ninja that was with me as bargaining tools. They let me and Kasuga go as long as Yuzuki came back with them to Odawara so that Hanbei Takenaka could punish her for betraying him. We need to get to her before he hurts her. We have to."

Masamune got a serious look on his face and nodded. "What the hell are we doing sitting around here? We got a friend of ours in trouble so let's get a move on." Kojuro came back around with Masamune's horse and Kojuro was ready to go himself. Yukimura was on his horse as fast as he could and when everything was ready they took off for Kai. Lord Shingen and lord Kenshin were waiting for them at the gates with both armies ready and waiting. Lord Shingen nodded to the One-Eyed Dragon in greeting and he got a nod in return. "It's nice of you to join us Date Masamune." Masamune rolled his eye. "I'm here because I owe Yuzuki big time."

Sasuke walked up to his lord and bowed. "Lord Shingen what is our plan for getting Yuzuki back?" Kenshin had moved closer to the group looking very determined. "While the armies clash at the front gates as a distraction you and Kasuga are to sneak by and enter Odawara castle, find Yuzuki, and get back to us safely. As soon as we can see you we will withdraw and hasten our way back to Kai. Avoid any conflict if you can we want to end this as quickly as we plan to start it." Sasuke nodded along with Yukimura and Masamune. "Sounds like a plan." The One-Eyed Dragon seemed ready to go and so did everyone else. Lord Kenshin drew his sword and pointed it forward. "We are off to save a friend let us be swift and successful. Bishumonten divine guidance will assure us victory!" All of the men cheered and they started their march for Odawara.

As soon as Sasuke could see the gates of the castle he split off from the army and met up with Kasuga. They took a longer route around to the side of the castle where they started their search. They crept down the hallway and froze when they hear a loud thump. They waited a few moments and continued on when they froze again hearing a muffled scream. "That was Yuzuki!" Sasuke had recognized the voice immediately and had the urge to race down the hallway. He took a deep breath and looked at Kasuga. She put her hand on his shoulder giving him a warning look. "Are you sure that was her?" Sasuke nodded calmly. "I would recognize that voice anywhere. She's being hurt we need to hurry." Kasuga shook her head. "Sasuke remember what my lord had told you. We need to be in as little conflict as possible. We need to find out exactly where she is and wait for an opening."

Sasuke nodded and followed Kasuga. They stopped when they reached a door that was partially opened. They peered inside to see Yuzuki on the ground with her hair in her face. She wasn't moving much but Sasuke could tell she was shaking. Standing to the side was none other than Takenaka Hanbei. He had his back to the two snooping ninja but his foot had moved to being rested on the side of Yuzuki's head. "My dear Yuzuki it would appear that Ishidate has done a number on you. I told him he was allowed to punish you as he saw fit and I supposed he has had his fill." Sasuke watched as Yuzuki spat blood onto Hanbei's other foot. She then swung her legs around and they connected with the back of Hanbei's sending him flying towards the ground. He landed on his butt hard and cursed. He stood up quickly and kicked Yuzuki in the stomach sending her rolling across the floor. After Hanbei had regained his composure he turned and made his way to the door.


End file.
